LocoChino

Rest : Loco Chino
Loc : Peddar Road, near Vama
Meal : Lunch

Loco Chino replaces the ill fated Buddha Belly at Peddar Road, a location where parking is nigh impossible and that is about the only drawback i see with the place. The menu oddly is Chinese & Mexican, perhaps to capture two rather popular cuisines which would suit the residents in the area just fine. 

While i was there strictly for the Mexican i could not resist getting the Turnip cakes, which were FIERY hot, not to taste as such but a few hours later, they were raging. good but be careful with these. you have been warned. 

the nachos, well they were generous with the sour cream salsa and the guacamole but i was not too impressed with the chips. i hope they switch to a different, plainer kind, still worth getting however. 

my brother went for the burrito bowl which is what happens to a burrito when it implodes i suppose. pretty good. 

the chimichangas, everyone has given me grief over this picture, well its fried people, this IS a chimichanga, its unfortunate that its been cut and presented like a quesadilla, but this too was pretty good. 

the soft shell taco was again good but small.

the burrito, going by the bowl, was not going to be bad and it wasnt. worked out well, this one.

Overall, i loved the food here, id like to give some dim sum a try but i think the mexican is a winner here. Infact, i was shocked at how good the food was. I chalk it down to freshness, even the Guacamole was fresh and generously shared.

Dont know how long they will be able to keep the standard up, i hope it is for a while, def going back for more this weekend.

Only complaint so far is that the salsa chips arent that good to taste but that could be just me. The portions could be bigger. Its not expensive but again, its not cheap either.

Service is kinda slow but hopefully they will get their act together soon.

meal for 2 was about 1100.

Yauatcha

Rest : Yauatcha

Meal : Lunch
Loc : BKC

Yauatcha, sigh, i really get a hankering for Dim Sum once in a while and since it was my birthday and we Yauatcha was going to be en route, we decided to whizz by and do a quick all dim sum lunch. Little did i know, what a disappointment i was in for. 

the menu is fairly expansive, various options with dim sum, chinese tea as well as a set of mains, they also do some really interesting desserts, which unfortunately due to our paucity of time we could not try out. 

The vegetable crystal dumpling was strictly okay, no great shakes. 

The Truffle Edamame dumpling was actually underdone but the filling was okay.

i debated between getting the golden fried vegetable puff (which i did) and the fried turnip cakes, my last visit i had these and they were fantastic, this time however they were the exact opposite. nothing standout about em at all. 

the only saving grace was the lotus leaf sticky rice was pretty decent, thankfully.

Overall, i was pretty disappointed, the food was just not upto the mark considering dim sum is their specialty, definitely not a taste of the orient this one. Contrast this with my previous meal at Yauatcha or my meal at their far superior sister restaurant Hakkasan. Standards have certainly fallen. 

Food : 4/10

Service : 8/10

Damage : 1800 for 2 without drinks 

Eating Out In Hong Kong & Cebu

I was recently in Hong Kong & Cebu, Philippines and thought i would do a run through of my meals whilst there. It is not a complete list but sort of the greatest hits. 

Shanghai Popo 336,  iSquare, TST, 

This is apparently the best branch of this fairly popular Shanghainese restaurant. Loads of local here which is always a good sign. Its a very attractive place from a design stand point and I loved its bare cemented walls, the decor being harsh and hip, the food the exact opposite. 

the menu like mostly restaurants in HKG is fairly expansive, covering plenty of ground, Noodles, Dim Sum, Vegetables, Sea Food, Meats, etc. 

The hand made noodles in a special Schezwan soup was excellent, spicy but loads of flavour. 

yummy green beans

and even yummier pancakes, freaking delicious. 

the buns were fought over, minced mushroom from what i recall 

Highly recommend a meal here, it was about HK$500 for four without booze. 

Din Tai Fung, Ye Woo Street, Causeway Bay

Have been a fan of Din Tai Fung, every since my friend Sam turned me onto them in Singapore. Every since then i have had atleast one meal a year at one of their restaurants in Singapore or Hong Kong and look forward to these with great relish. 

 

Both the branches of this Taiwanese eatery in Hong Kong have a Michelin star each and deservedly so. The food is delicious, consistent and the service is quick and impeccable. Which is especially important because i have had some less than excellent service in Hong Kong at times. 

the meal starts of with a little pot of Jasmine tea, which goes down very well. very well indeed and this is coming from a not very tea friendly person. 

Noodles with spicy sauce, what can i say, just perfect and actually not as spicy as one would reckon. 

These were the mushroom dim sum which was also muy excellent. One can also get mushrooms in a soy sauce which i didnt end up getting as it would have been too much. Next time perhaps. All in all, excellent meal with great service.

HK$300 for two without drinks. 

Tim Ho Wan Hong Kong Station, Level 1 

I end up in Hong Kong station either when i am in or heading out of HKG and always try and make a go of grabbing a bite at Tim Ho Wan which is still the worlds cheapest michelin star restaurant, although the original branch was in Mong- Kok and has since shuttered. Folks in Singapore can find a bunch of Tim Ho Wan's however. 

i got the turnip cakes this time which i missed out on the last time and everything else was much the same. check was about $90 and the wait was about 20 mins. 

Sorabol, Lee Theatre Plaza, Causeway Bay

Sorabol is a Korean restaurant tucked up on top of the LTP building, its a pain in the arse to get to if you don't take the correct elevator. 

Served up a bunch of varied kim chi while we waited for our meal. Since my mates had been there before they did the ordering. 

the kim chi pan cake was downright delicious, especially when doused with a little hot sauce. 

This was one of the 'stone' rice preparations done in a traditional Korean style, pretty good. We couldn't order to use the grill to cook our own food because we were pretty full by then. all in all a go to Korean place for a lot of people in HKG and rightfully so. 

HK$600 for four without drinks. 

The Flying Pan Old Bailey Street, Central 

One of my fav meals in Hong Kong, this 24 hour diner is super popular with breakfast crowd as well as post drink 4 am party people seeking nourishment. Although small, the place packs a serious punch when it comes to its menu which is pretty wide. Egg, Griddle, Pancakes, Frittatas, Omelets, you name it. they got it. hell they even do cocktails. 

The Rancheros were terrific, eggs sunny side up on on a tortilla with refried beans, jalapenos.  

The eggs benedict were pretty terrific as well, as good as my rancheros were, would be hard pressed to pick between the two. great good, prompt service, must check it out i reckon.

HK$250 for three no booze. 

Teppan 

was walking around on Nathan road and saw this small teppan place, no idea why i went inside, it was a little late around 2.45 and they were about to wrap up but they were kind enough to seat me. i had the porcini mushrooms with a side of veggies, mung beans and rice. the soup i did not like very much but the rest was terrific and only cost HK$75 

Kirin Ichiban 

Frozen beer at the airport by Kirin Ichiban at the airport, pricey at HK$80, tad weird but def worth trying. great for a hot summer day this. again, trust the Japanese to come up with this. 

Maxim's Cakes All across  Hong Kong 

My friend Amit, picked up a few of these to chew on while we hung out at the airport. he also took every opportunity to pick some up every time he could. good stuff this, wont go wrong picking these. 

Royal Krua Thai, SM Mall, Cebu, Philippines 

Cebu is a glorious place to Scuba dive and indulge in water sports, which is why we were there. However its not the best place in the world to eat out. Food was pretty weak across the board and we stuck to mostly bad pizza until our last day there when we decided to try our luck with this Thai joint. The decor of the space was pretty far out as well.

delicious iced tea.

terrific spring rolls. 

tofu in all kinds of hot sauce. 

all in all the food was very good and the service was super quick and friendly. The people o the Philippine have a friendly, musical way about them and can be pretty hospitable, as was our host at the restaurant. meal was 600PHP without drinks for three. 

while walking around the SM mall we came across this small ice cream space. anyway, this is a pair of warm cookies with chocolate ice cream in the middle. need i say more, 100PHP

Also, if you find yourself in Cebu and want to party, head to Mango Square, find JM-Ave and get a private table for 5000PHP. worth it and the place is banging till about 5 am. 

Hakkasan

Rest : Hakkasan 

Meal : Lunch 

Loc : Bandra 

I haven't been a fan of Chinese for sometime now as it really messes up my system the day after. So i have been mostly avoiding eating Chinese out. My kid brother on the other hand is a big, big fan and gets a lot of take away from China Garden which is close by.

However he swears by Hakkasan which is is his fav Chinese eatery in Bombay, in fact having studied in London, he was a fan of Hakkasan on Wardour St.

Somehow, getting to Hakkasan never quite worked out but this past week i got an opportunity i couldn't pass up. I frequently dine with some friends and got the opportunity to finally check the space out. (@anaggh, @theflyingsikh, @girishmallya) 

All i drink in the day.. 

The dim sum platter was fantastic, the black fungus dumpling was exquisite as was the crystal dumpling. The chive dumpling and the lotus roll were excellent as well. 

i think these were the carrot cake, spicy but excellent. 

these might have been the wild mushroom and veggies wrap, can't be sure but i remember eating most of em and they were pretty kick ass. 

stir fry french beans were a win, i wouldn't have ordered em, choosing a regular gravy main but this was excellent. 

the (relatively) weakest dish of the evening was the stiry fry lotus root with asparagus. 

i think this was blueberry sorbet with what looks like a blueberry cheesecake, both were awesome, the sorbet was something else. 

the mango fingybob was excellent as well. just loved it. 

cant recall the name of this one but was spot on. 

creme brulee was excellent as well. 

Overall, the food was excellent, kid brother says the London flavours are a lot lighter, so the dishes have certainly been adapted to an extent but they are still fairly different. There is plenty of choice and there are some delicate flavors which is not something Chinese in India is known for.

The Michelin star in London is certainly well deserved according to my kid brother but the Bombay branch is no slouch.

The desserts too were just tantalizingly good. They have a lunch special nowadays where they do a three course lunch which is vfm, although the restaurant is not nearly as expensive as its made out to be. It's not cheap but it certainly isn't extravagant. 

I joined  my friends who were there on invitation from the restaurant, so will not rate the food as such but i will say its worth a go.

Asian Street Kitchen

Rest : Asian Street Kitchen

Meal : Dinner
Loc : Chowpatty

A serious hankering for noodles hit last week and we decided to go check out Burma Bumra, however being the new kind on the block, they refuse to keep tables for walk-in's and we were told not to bother coming.Next option was our club and on our way we got massively and quite oddly traffucked. 

Spotted the sign for Asian Street Kitchen and decided to hop in rather than spend another 20 mins trying to get through. 

anyway, the menu is Asian as you probably guessed, its the new fad, being the 5th or 6th Asian restaurant in the last 12 months. Italian was du jour the year before. 

the menu does not waver far from the usual suspects, familiar soups, appetizers etc. they also serve Pho, Laksa et al, so its like a greatest hits of asian cuisine and leads to a please everyone menu (which is fine) However its yet another place that misses out on Malaysian dishes, so no Roti Canai or Coconut Rice in the style. 

the space is tight but comfortable and split across two levels, not a fan of the weirdo lighting though, feels quite odd. 

horrible table sauces, just horrible.

mushroom skewers were just awesome, gobbled them down very very quick. the teriyaki was sweetish but the mushrooms held up well. 

no drinks, so this is what you get.

the steamed garlic wontons were also very good, tasted brilliant, thoroughly enjoyable. 

the khau suey was massive (this was an individual portion) 

but it was actually not very good. lacked any serious flavour, pretty weak.

usually avoid getting the regular Thai curries as am very partial to the Green at Koh & the Red at Thai Pavilion. Went for the Sri Lankan curry which looked interesting. unfortunately it came with Paneer :( and looked and tasted like a not so good, garden variety green curry. 

Overall, i didn't have high hopes for the space in all honesty, considering location i figured it would be going after the lowest common denominator in terms of flavor. Very pleasantly surprised by the appetizers which i would return for anyday but the mains are where the wheels totally came off. 

Food : 6/10
Service : 7/10

Damage : 1300 for two